Broke state: Jumbo Cabinet adds burden

It was evident the six

stories would not be enough for a rapidly growing and prosperous state, so an annexe, also six stories, was built to house about 20 ministers and their departments.

Today, the state is bankrupt — Rs 83,000 crore is the debt in case you’ve forgotten — and far from downsizing, the government plans to lend a permanence to its extravagance.

Only too aware that the state’s 69 ministers are grumbling about lack of work — and more importantly, an office. Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to work on a pending plan to build a New Annexe Building for Mantralaya, what we know as the old Sachivalay. This too will be six storeys high. The cost: Rs 72 crore. The architect: Hafeez Contractor, designer of buildings that symbolise the new Mumbai.

The need for this enormous new work space is a reflection of the new realities in the new Maharashtra, a state riven by parties, factions and interests, an acknowledgement that jumbo ministries are here to stay. No wonder Contractor didn’t want to talk about what should be regarded as a triumph for him. ‘‘It is a sensitive issue,’’ he told The Indian Express.

The plan to construct the new annexe was gathering dust for over a year after the ruling Democratic Front cabinet put it on hold because there was no money. Well, there’s even less money now, but the fact that the number of ministers has increased by 13 is reason enough.

Since the new ministry took charge on January 18, the hapless PWD has

been trying to accommodate half a dozen of the new ministers in the Mantralaya building. For now, they have been given offices in the

Vidhan Bhavan building. This piquant situation forced a fresh look at the proposal and quick action by Shinde.

It’s been more than a decade since the government mulled the new annexe proposal. The idea was to convert the area between the Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhavan across Madam Cama Road into Mantralaya Complex. Both were supposed to be given free plots at Bandra-Kurla Complex with additional floor-space index. All this never happened.

In November 2001, the state appointed architect Hafeez Contractor to prepare a plan for New Annexe Building.